1968
by Peace Keeper 2014
Summary: 1968 is a collaboration between Stella Luce 333 and PeaceKeeper2014 for XaJuWriMo. Ulrich and Odd, desperate to turn things around in History class, make the call to jump back in time to 1968, where they decide to make their project authentic to true experiences in the American Vietnam War. However, they don't realize just how dangerous it is. This may be their last class project.
1. Prologue

Prologue

February 5th, 1968- 1 Day Before Times Up- 1330 Hours

Quang Tri, Vietnam

Battle of Quang Tri- Almost 96 Hours Since Assault

Smoke rose high into the blue sky as American and South Vietnamese soldiers moved down the streets, armed with rifles, machine guns, and rocket launchers to chase their enemy, located south of Quang Tri City. The streets were littered with shell casings and small bits of rubble from explosions from grenades, mortar shells, and tank shells and rockets. Some American and South Vietnamese medics carried the bodies of the dead, both Allied and Communist. Terrified, yet proud citizens cheered as their own soldiers and their allies, the Americans, went down the streets, ready to get rid of what was left of the North Vietnamese attackers. The people still had hope and they believed in their soldiers.

Standing on the side, a lone GI stood, watching the soldiers go by. He was shorter than a lot of the American soldiers and was also a little skinnier than a lot of them. His M16 A1 was slung over his shoulder, while his hands were to his side, his head hanging towards the ground as the cheers continued along with the sound of boots and vehicles rolling by. He turned around and walked into a small alleyway slowly, the soldiers still heading down the street. Overhead, Huey Bell helicopters soared, loaded with soldiers and equipment, armed for combat.

The soldier sat down near the wall, his rifle set aside while he sat still, taking off his helmet and setting it to his left side. He then took something out of his bag. It was a simple recorder, which had strips of duct tape on each side, which had the soldier's name written on it. The young soldier took a deep breath, then licking his lips.

"February 5th, 1968." the soldier began his recording. "Today, there has been light fighting to the north of Quang Tri City. However, in the city itself, no fighting has erupted. American and South Vietnamese troops are advancing southward to chase what's left of the Communist forces that invaded several days ago. Over that time, our casualties are unknown, but there's are heavy, despite the effort they put up. I'm fortunate enough to meet some of these men. Some are like brothers, protecting each other from harm. It's like family." Tears started falling down his cheeks.

"Everyone thought that these men were murderers and monsters, designed to kill." the soldier continued. "I saw what was truly in them, something no one will ever understand. This is Ulrich Stern, fighting with the 12th US Cavalry. We have 24 hours until we come back home. End recording." He clicked the button on the recorder, stopping his log. He then put the recorder back into his bag, then looking down the alleyway, the soldiers now out of sight. The cheering had died down.

Ulrich stood back up and walked back into the street, seeing the crowd of people following the troops outside of the city. Ulrich then looked behind him, seeing the small remainder of destruction left behind by fighting. After the NVA was pushed out, the soldiers had time to clean up the mess left by the North Vietnamese. The NVA terrified the citizens of Quang Tri City to a point where even after two days of fighting left them too afraid to even step out to the light.

Now that the fighting truly ended inside the city itself, it was time to end the Communist presence in the Quang Tri Province. To Ulrich, it seemed that it was a good idea to stay behind with the rest of the 12th Cavalry, which decided to help the South Vietnamese defend the city from any other assault that might occur.

Ulrich decided to visit a local restaurant and rest on a chair. He sat down and stared off into the street as people began to pass by, now safe from harm. Ulrich sighed as he relaxed, taking off his pack and setting his rifle down next to it. He then took off the pack around his waist and sat it down in front of him. The recorder had more than two weeks worth of recordings, which was mostly done by Odd and Ulrich. But, out of boredom and curiosity, he replayed a recording made almost a week or two ago.

"Testing, testing." the voice said in the recording. Ulrich knew the voice. It was Jeremy. "Go ahead, Aelita. Say something into it."

"Testing, one, two, three." Aelita said into the recorder. "Testing."

"Great, it works." Jeremy's voice replied. "Now, I've got to see if I can install a neat camera." Ulrich laughed as he continued to go through the recording, remembering the days before and during the events of the Battle of Quang Tri, 1968.


	2. Chapter 1

**THIS CHAPTER WAS WRITTEN JOINTLY. STELLA LUCE 333 ORIGINALLY WROTE THE CHAPTER AND I HAVE MADE SOME CHANGES TO FIT OUR WRITING, AS WELL AS ADDING SOME SENTENCES AND MORE IN TO ADD MORE WORDS INTO THE STORY AND ALSO MAKE IT MORE ENGAGING, ETC. ENJOY!**

**-PEACEKEEPER2014**

* * *

Chapter 1: Trying to Concentrate

A Week and A Half Ago

Paris, France

Kadic Junior High

"Odd! You're supposed to be helping me do research!" Ulrich complained. It was bad enough that he was stuck in the library on this beautiful sunny day, & it didn't help that Odd wasn't pulling his weight. The pile of books next to Ulrich didn't seem to send the message to Odd, since he has been goofing off since the project was assigned.

"I am researching!" Odd said. "I'm researching how to drive a monster truck without crashing it." Ulrich rolled his eyes with annoyance, trying to concentrate on the work at hand without getting distracted.

"How exactly does that relate to the Vietnam War?"

"It doesn't, but it's more fun." Odd said. "We have a week & a half to do this. We have plenty of time."

"Not after you add in our training sessions on Lyoko, XANA attacks, & other home work." Ulrich argued.

"Hey, you left out eating!" Odd said. "It's like you're turning into Jeremy."

"Odd, I've told you this already. My dad will freak if I don't bring my grades up. This project counts towards 30 percent of our final grade, so it's the perfect opportunity to raise my grade a little."

"But it's _boring_!" Odd whined.

"But it's easy." Ulrich shot back. "You just do a lot of reading & then put it in your own words." He handed Odd one of the books he had pulled off the shelves.

"Start reading." Odd logged off of the computer & sat down at the table next to Ulrich. It wasn't more than a few minutes before Odd started talking again.

"You know…there's probably a more interesting way to do this research…"

"Odd, I highly doubt the new horror film opening this weekend is in any way related to the Battle of Quang Tri." Ulrich said.

"That wasn't what I meant!" Odd said. "Although we should totally go see that this weekend…"

"No."

"Well, it was worth a try. But what I meant was that this would be so much more interesting if we, you know, actually witnessed the battle…"

"Again, no."

"Oh, come on, Ulrich!" Odd said. Thankfully, the boys were the only ones in the library. "The time travel program is just sitting on the supercomputer any way. We might as well put it to good use…"

"By visiting a battle field during a war? Are you out of your mind? We'd probably get killed!"

"We can at least ask…"

"I can already tell you right now he'll say no."

* * *

"No!" Jeremy said when Odd visited him in the lab. "Odd, we can't just jump back in time whenever we feel like it. What about bringing William home, or saving Franz?" He turned back to his work. "As well as repairing the Skid after _somebody_ took it for a joy ride…"

"That wasn't my fault!" I said. "Mantas were attacking the Skid! I _had _to try to lose them…"

"But you also nearly destroyed the ship's shields in the process." Jeremy replied.

"Odd, time travel's not the adventure you think it is." Aelita cut in, looking up from her lap top. "The danger is very real. It's not like Lyoko. You won't have super powers. And, you might even get killed."

"Come on, it's not that far into the past!" Odd said. "How else am I supposed to find out what happened?" Jeremy looked up from his work.

"Have you tried the library?" Odd nodded in reply.

"Did it work out?" Odd nodded again, expressing his deepest feelings for the library.

"Odd, we're not using that time travel program and that's final." Jeremy told Odd in his most serious voice.

"But…"

"No buts!" Jeremy shot back. "Go to the library and read those books. Ulrich's doing it."

"Yeah, but…" Again, Jeremy shot back at him.

"I don't want to hear it. Either you read those books and pass or you fail because of the fact that you spent the majority of your time watching horror movies and arguing with me." Odd sighed. Jeremy got stressed out a little, not believing the fact that he had to talk to Odd like his own dad.

"Besides, Odd, we don't want to lose anybody." Aelita added into the conversation. "All is fair in love and war, and, in war, nothing is fair."

"She has a point, Odd." Ulrich followed up. "We don't want to get shot, blown up, or heavily disfigured, do we?"

"No…" Odd replied.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: After Odd

The Factory, France

Near Kadic Junior High

Later That Day…

"I can't believe he asked me that!" Jeremy stressed as he continued his work on the supercomputer. After what happened the last time, he thought that the very thought of the program wouldn't exist. Not anymore, since Odd tried to pressure him into activating it just so he and Ulrich could boost up his grade. "I mean, doesn't he know the risk?!" Aelita was working on her laptop, listening to Jeremy rant.

"Jeremy, I know the question was outrageous, but, you're stressing this too much." Aelita shot out as she stared at her laptop screen. "I mean, yes, it's ridiculous, but I think you should actually relax a little bit." Jeremy stopped and looked at Aelita. There was a brief silence. Aelita knew Jeremy was stressed, working on the supercomputer non-stop, worrying about Lyoko and XANA, and even about the time program.

"You're… You're right, Aelita." Jeremy replied. "I've been working on the supercomputer a lot, worrying too much." He sighed. "It's outrageous of him to ask me that, but… ranting about it right now won't change anything." Aelita nodded and slightly smiled, closing the screen of her laptop. She approached Jeremy.

"Maybe, you should rest a little bit." Aelita suggested. "Working non-stop is exhausting you." Jeremy looked at the supercomputer screens and then at Aelita, who was still smiling. Jeremy looked back at the screens again. He then sighed.

"Alright." Jeremy agreed. "Maybe I should rest a little bit." He then reached below the supercomputer's chair. "But, first, we should test this out." What was in Jeremy's hands was some sort of recorder. It was lightly damaged, scratches covering its screen. It had a piece of tap on the top of the recorder, the date '1980'.

"Where did you find that?" Aelita asked, curiously.

"I was looking around here a little bit and I found a secret compartment under the chair." Jeremy explained.

"Why would it be under the chair?"

"Beats me." he replied. "But, I give it to Franz, hiding it under the chair. It was the last place someone would expect to find this."

"Does it still work?"

"Let's find out." Jeremy found the record button on the side of the recorder. The button was next to an eject button for any kind of tape or something. The recorder began to work, a loud clicking noise signaling the recorder's ready to use.

"Testing, testing." Jeremy said into the recorder. He turned to Aelita and held it closer to her. "Go ahead, Aelita. Say something." She cleared her throat.

"Testing, one, two, three." Aelita spoke. "Testing." Jeremy noticed it was still going without any problems. "Great, it works! Now I've got to see if I can install a neat camera." Jeremy stopped the recorder and sat it on top of his lap.

"Play it back." Aelita suggested. Jeremy shrugged his shoulders and he listened to the recording they have done just recently. To Jeremy's surprise, it was crystal clear quality. Jeremy never knew that a recorder was of this quality almost two decades ago.

"That's some nice sound." Jeremy high fived Aelita. "After twenty or so years, it still works like a charm."

"So, we're you serious about the camera idea?" Jeremy nodded.

"As soon as I figure it out, I'll install it." Jeremy answered. He yawned.

"Alright, Jeremy, get some rest." Aelita told Jeremy.

"But, the recorder…" Aelita nodded no. "…And the camera…" she nodded no again.

"Gaaah, alright." Jeremy replied, setting the recorder back into its compartment under the chair. He turned off the screens on the super computer and entered the elevator with Aelita.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: A Walk in the Woods

Kadic Junior High

That Evening…

"Since when do you take walks?" Ulrich asked. It was about an hour before curfew when Odd made this very strange request.

"What, you think you're the only one?" Odd shot back. "It's not like you have to be sulking to enjoy a little fresh air…"Since Odd's idea of fun usually ended with at least one of them in detention, Ulrich decided to let him go.

"Just try to be back before curfew." Ulrich said. Odd smiled to himself as he left. If his theory was correct, he'd be back within the hour…at least from Ulrich's walked the familiar path through the forest to the sewer entrance. He knew that Aelita was forcing Jeremy to get some sleep tonight, which meant the lab was had insisted that everybody learn how to run basic functions on the supercomputer. How hard would it be to run a time travel program, especially since it was already written?

Normally, they all double checked their surroundings before entering the sewer, but nobody else was out this late, so why bother? Which is why Odd nearly jumped out of his skin when a voice spoke behind him.

"Funny, I didn't know there was so much fresh air available in the sewers…"Ulrich had, apparently, followed Odd from the dorm.

"I…uh…" Odd scrambled for an excuse. "I…I guess I just came this way out of habit, not really paying attention..."

"Yeah, right." Ulrich said, clearly not buying it. "I'm sure you weren't trying to take a joy ride through time…"He knew his roommate all too well.

"Come on, Ulrich, you can't tell me you're not even a little bit interested in time travel." Odd said. "You've already been once…& that was even one of the bloodiest days in American history!"

"First of all, I didn't "get to go" like it's some sort of vacation." Ulrich said. "XANA trapped me. He tried to have Aelita & I killed before we were even born." Ulrich tried not to remember that day. "I'm sorry, Odd, but dying is not on my to-do list. Neither is burying my best friend." He took a deep breath. "Come on, we have to back inside before curfew. If XANA doesn't do anything tonight, we'll actually be able to get a good night's sleep."

There wasn't much Odd could've done to argue his point, so he replaced the manhole cover & followed Ulrich back to Kadic. But, he wasn't giving up that easy…


	5. Chapter 4

**Sorry if it's taking forever to get where we want to be. :) We're just trying to get it in depth so that we make the best of the story. Don't worry, the action is getting here soon and it will blow your mind. Me and Stella Luce 333 are working to make sure this story is historically accurate during the Vietnam War. **

**-PEACEKEEPER 2014**

**PS: This is the official sequel to Battle of Antietam. And, as far as I know, our titles will consist of the date of the historical event. The year, that is. :)**

* * *

Chapter 4: Just One Dream

Kadic Junior High

That Same Night…

After being forced to go back to Kadic with Ulrich, Odd decided to try and stay up an hour or two to see if Jeremy's idea about books was better than his own idea about time travel. Ulrich was fast asleep in his bed, lightly snoring away. Odd, however, read the book Ulrich checked out of the library.

"This is almost half the size of my history book." Odd whispered to himself, staring at the page he was on. His eyes scanned through the sentences as quickly as he flipped each page, which was, to be honest, almost as fast as the speed of light. Under that book was a piece of notebook paper Ulrich gave him to keep track of the info they need in their project. However, Odd didn't write anything down. His excuse was that he lost his only pencil.

Still bored out of his mind, he flipped through each page. If Odd had a boredom meter, it would have been through the roof. Maybe, it would have made it to the Moon by now.

"Why do I have to listen to Jeremy?" Odd complained silently to himself. "I mean, he doesn't even know the _real_ definition of fun and he always acts like he knows every single thing in the universe." If Jeremy were in the room, he would have said that he does. To Odd, he thinks Jeremy's just being a little too… uptight. He also think Ulrich is as well.

"It would be _so cool _to see this in real life." Odd quietly said to himself. Odd silently took the piece of notebook paper out from under the book and read a word Ulrich never got the chance to find the definition for. "Broken Arrow?" he asked himself. "I thought it was Broken Wing?" He shrugged his shoulders and yawned, silently setting the book down onto the floor. Odd placed the paper on top of the book and laid his head on his pillow slowly. Kiwi was under the sheets next to him.

"Good night Kiwi." Odd whispered to his dog. After he closed his eyes, he reminded himself something he thought was important. "Tomorrow night, I'll make sure to lure Ulrich to the super computer. He's coming with me, whether he likes it or not…" He slowly drifted into a deep sleep, his snoring getting increasingly louder. Then, all was quiet… except for the loud snoring coming from Odd…

All of a sudden, Odd heard the sound of rumbling thunder in the distance. Before the thunder, however, there was a high pitched whistle. Odd bolted up, looking around himself. However, he was not in his room anymore. He was in the middle of a jungle. The sky above was cloudless and blue and the smell of smoke and dirt filled the air. He looked at a group of soldiers ahead, taking cover behind knocked down trees and wrecked vehicles. They were firing their weapons deep into the green jungle, tracers being exchanged back and forth between them. Odd's face soon spawned a grin. The sun beamed down onto him as he slowly stood up, facing forward as he ran towards the gunfire, tracers zooming past him, as though he was impossible to hit. Odd then stepped on something, something heavy and metal. What he stepped on was an M60 machine gun. He smiled and picked up the weapon, holding low by the hip. He then held down the trigger, the weapon's massive kick delivering the heavy 7.62mm NATO rounds down range. Brass casing after casing fell down onto the dirt and soft green grass below, Odd gritting his teeth as he enjoyed each kick from the MG. Sweat ran down his face as he continued to fire the weapon.

In reality, Odd smiled as he continued to sleep and dream, thinking war was glorious and full of adrenaline and excitement. Throughout his entire slumber, that was all Odd could think about. And, that dream never seemed to end for him.


	6. Chapter 5

**Sorry for the long wait, everyone! :) Me and Stella were focusing on making the story amazing. Even though this chapter is a little bit short, we're planning to make things more detailed and longer. We hope you enjoy this short chapter before we really get things rolling. And, things will be explained as we go along, so keep reading and waiting.**

**-Peace**

* * *

Chapter 5: Odd's Plan

Kadic Junior High

A Few Nights Later…

In hindsight, Ulrich was glad that Odd was one of the good guys. If XANA ever realized how cunning Odd was, the world would be doomed.

Odd's plan started the night before, when he unplugged Ulrich's phone charger from the wall. They all kept their phones charged, in case of a XANA attack, but Ulrich was the most diligent about it. He plugged his phone in every night before bed, charging it over night & shoving in his pocket in the morning.

Of course, he still half asleep when he got dressed in the morning, so he didn't notice that the battery wasn't completely charged…which was exactly what Odd was counting on.

That night, Odd set his phone alarm for the middle of the night, when everybody was sure to be asleep. Aelita was still trying to make sure Jeremy slept, so the lab would be completely empty.

When it was time, Odd quickly shut his phone off. He took a moment to get into character, & then shook Ulrich awake.

"Ulrich! Come on, get up, XANA's attacking!" Odd said. Ulrich sat up & took out his ear plugs.

"…What is it? What's wrong?"

"XANA's attacking!" Odd said again. "Jeremy was just here. XANA's drained the power from our phones!" He grabbed his, hitting a few buttons to demonstrate his point…but being careful not to push the power button.

Ulrich grabbed his, pulling it out of the charger & hit some buttons. It wouldn't turn on. The battery was completely dead.

"Let's go."

* * *

The lab was empty when they got there, which was exactly what Odd had hoped.

"I thought you said Jeremy woke you." Ulrich said. "Shouldn't he be here by now?"

"Something must have happened to him." Odd said.

"We better go find him."

"No!" Odd said, a little too quickly. "I mean…uh…Isn't this why he taught us basic programs on the supercomputer? For emergencies like this?" Odd paused for effect. His plan was working! "Go down to the scanner room, & I'll launch the program."

"Fine, but don't mess it up." Ulrich got back in the elevator, went down a level, & got into his scanner. Odd came running in a few minutes later & got in his own.

All seemed normal until they fell to Lyoko…& Ulrich realized that they weren't on Lyoko at all. They were lying on the ground, & the sun was beating down on them. There were palm trees all around.

This wasn't Lyoko.

"Odd, _what did you do?_"


End file.
